Portable structures, such as stages or platforms, must be capable of being assembled and disassembled into relatively small units that can be compactly and quickly loaded onto trucks or airplanes for transport. The portable structures must be capable of being assembled and disassembled by personnel with little or no technical skill. The portable structures support a large amount of weight and are subjected to external conditions, lateral forces, loud vibrations, and substantial wear.
The portable structures are generally comprised of systems of primary and secondary supports that provide the necessary stability. These systems are often comprised of supports requiring use of tools, such as wrenches and screwdrivers, to assemble and disassemble the portable structures. Locking mechanisms for supports have been used; however, they are difficult to assemble and disassemble, subject to misalignment, require a plurality of pieces, require tools for certain adjustments, do not offer adequate stability, do not have easily replaceable parts, and do not work well in conjunction with other parts of the portable structures.
Portable structures typically used in the art include those structures that have perpendicular members extending from the platform, which are attached at the joints between decking members. The structures known in the art suffer from the drawback that they are cumbersome to assemble, subject to misalignment, causing instability in the structure, and are subject to lateral forces during use.
What is needed is a portable support and a platform system that are easily assembled and disassembled with little or no technical skill, is not substantially subject to misalignment, requires few pieces, can be substantially assembled and disassembled by hand, offers the necessary stability, has replaceable parts, and works in conjunction with the other parts of the portable structure.